The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-08
ESQUIRE W. \. HUGHEY
EXPLAINS HIS VOTE ON THE
LEVEE AND BRIDGE
Across the Wolf River Bottom, on
-. - the HIndman Ferry Road
and shows Plainly
THAT 1T Is A GREAT BtG JOB
THAT WILL COST
The County All the Appeal Has As.
seri, II Would, aud Forced War.
rants From Par TO 92c.
To Editor of the Appeals

Totho Editor of the Appeals
Much has been said and written
abou, the action of the County
Court appropriating SIC, 600 for the
purpose of building a levy across
Wolf River bottom on the Hindmau
Ferry road, and | have been request
ed to place myself on record, which
take pleasure in doing, as to this
or any other vote that | may have
cast since have been q member of
the court, where the peoples inter
ests were at stake, and | ask that
you give me an opportunity of doing
so through your valuable paper. In
the first place, l will say that the
court was very equally divided,
eighteen voting for and fifteen against
the loan. The contest was long and
hot, The friends of the enterprise
have been at work for the last two
years, but have been defeated up to
the April term, when they gained
the victory and secured the apl ro-
priation by three votes, after a very
hard fight. wish to say that | OPP
posed the appropriation for various
reasons. To commence with, the
county is getting in debt deeper and
deeper, as | propose to show before |
am through, Chairman Slaughter's
report shows a balance of $33, 900 in
outstanding warrants due and
unpaid. Add to this $4,000
to cover the county expenses from
LIST of April to LIST of July Add the
same amount to cover from July to
October, and again the same to cover
the expenses from October to LIST of
January; then put some $4,000 or
$4,000 appropriated to repair the
jail, and Shelby county finds herself
in debt in the nice little sum of
$4,000 or $l25,0O at the end of
this year. Now let us see what she
will handle to pay it with, and
whether or not we are going to have
it all, provided she is fortunate
enough to collect all the taxes. The
taxable property OF Shelby county
amounts in round numbers to $22,-
100000. The county gets 30 ceuts
per 800 for county purposes, which
will amount to about 100000. All
back taxes and every means known
to me will not amount to more than
$25, 900, making total Of $S5, 900 or
500, 900, at farthest, to pay debt of
$4,000 or 1926, 900. All can see
that the county will be behind at the
end of the year at least
$4,000. Now, the Hindman fer
ry $4,000 is to be added, making
some $4,000 or $4,000 that we are
sure to be short at the end of the
year. These are my reasons from
financial standpoint, for thinking the |
appropriation an bnwise one. / |
have still other reasons. We are at |
work on an iron bridge some two or
three miles below the levee asked
for, to cost $25, 900, and are doing
work a few miles above it alta cost Of
several thousand dollars. That looks
to me like one locality was getting
more than rightly belongs to it. One
more very great ,reason had was the
very small number to be benefited
at the expense of the many. Still
another reason for opposing it, JUS
tice Barry and Others that have in
terested themselves enough to go out |
and see the route, say that the size of |
the levee asked for will not stand,
and:will be compelled to be strength |
ened with another appropriation to
make it strong enough to stand the |
floods that will come against il when |
the river is up. This they
say the friends of the en-
terprise well know, but they were
afraid to ask for enough at once, be-
cause the sum would be so large that
it would not be allowed. Hence
they ask for a part, with the belief
that rather than lose the first 10000
the court will come again with sec,
ond appropriation. There is one
thing | would have you notice-im-
after the appropriation
county warrants dropped from 100
to 81 cents on the dollar, lower than
they have been for three years. I'll
venture to say that an appropriation
for piking the leading roads would
not have had so damaging an effect
had it amounted to five times as
much. One more debt and | am
through. Some eighteen months ago
the County Court voted for the issu-
ing of 100000 in bonds for the pur-
pose of taking up outstanding war
rants and judgments, and in addi-
ton to this we have other bends out
amounting to 100000, but this is not
considered the county's debt proper.
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